Newcastle vs PSG: Preview, Team News & Predictions
Newcastle United’s fairytale return to the Champions League will see them face another baptism by fire, as they welcome Paris Saint-Germain to Tyneside for the second match day of the Champions League.
After frustrating AC Milan in a tantalizing Group F match last time out, the Toons demolished Sheffield United 8-0, dumped Manchester City out of the EFL Cup and rounded off their week with a polished 2-0 win against Burnley.
Indeed, Eddie Howe’s defense has now overseen five clean sheets in a row. Without a doubt, their display in front of the San Siro faithful will fill them with utmost confidence, but shutting out the front three of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos will be a Herculean task.
Newcastle have lost just five games at St. James’ Park since the start of 2022. And Luis Enrique will have noticed the character brimming straight out of the dressing room.
PSG were suffocated by Clermont Foot to a goalless draw over the weekend, but an Mbappe penalty accompanied by Achraf Hakimi’s strike put the result beyond Borussia Dortmund’s reach on game week one.
Treble-winning coach Enrique hasn’t hit the ground running, nor has the team full of star players set the pace in the league. As crazy as it sounds, Newcastle head into the game with momentum on their side.
Here’s all you need to know ahead of the mouth-watering game.
Team News
Newcastle United
The biggest blow for Newcastle comes in the form of Sven Botman, who couldn’t make it out of the Burnley game and is also likely to be sidelined until the close of the international break.
Harvey Barnes’ foot injury aggravates Howe’s headache, as the summer signing is set to be out for the rmainder of the calendar year.
Callum Wilson will be late assessment, while Anthony Gordon will start at left wing ahead of an unwarranted rest against West Ham next weekend due to an accumulation of five yellow cards.
Paris Saint-Germain
PSG full-back Nuno Mendes has successfully undergone an operation on his hamstring and will not feature again until 2024.
Marco Asensio and Presnel Kimpembe are notable absentees, along with keepers Sergio Rico and Keylor Navas.
Predicted XI
Newcastle United (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Lascelles, Burn; Longstaff, Anderson, Guimaraes; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Skriniar, Hernandez; Vitinha, Ugarte, Zaire-Emery; Dembele, G. Ramos, Mbappe
Match Prediction
There’s no denying Newcastle won’t challenge PSG’s resolute defense but keeping Mbappe and co. out could be a task too large for the Magpies.
In fact, Mbappe himself could be the difference between the two sides in an otherwise cagey affair.
Final score: Newcastle 0-1 PSG
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Sandro Halank. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0